Retribution
by kaibasgirlx
Summary: An eye for an eye..


**Retribution**

The candles lighting up the corridors cast long shadows on the walls, as the hooded figure made it's way through the winding hallway.

Fire Lord Ozai watched with bored amusement as the figure drew closer to his cell, until it stopped right in front of it. Taking out a key ring, pilfered off the night guard no doubt, they unlocked the door.

"Oh, what's this?" Ozai drawled disinterestedly, not changing his position at all. "It appears I have a visitor."

The figure entered his cell, closing it behind them, before turning around to look at him.

"Quite bold, aren't we?" Ozai sneered. "Coming into my cell without even properly introducing yourself."

"I doubt introductions are really necessary," the figure replied softly. Ozai narrowed his eyes as he sat up on the bench, now completely alert. That voice was familiar to him, far too familiar.

"Show me your face!" He demanded.

The figure complied, grasping both sides of the hood and lowering it down.

The former Fire Lord was completely silent for a few moments, as he stared at the visage he had not seen for more than 10 years. Though the black hair was beginning to turn grey, and the face had a weather-beaten look to it, it was unmistakably her.

"Ursa."

"Ozai."

His face broke out into a beguiling smile, as he held out his arms to her. She took a few steps forward, walking into the outermost edge of his embrace. His hands drew her closer by the waist, gripping it tightly.

"What are you doing here?"

A moment passed before she finally spoke.

"You hurt my son," her voice was accusatory. "I saw the scar you gave him."

"It ended up changing his entire life. For the better, of course," Ozai returned smoothly. "He would not be half the man he is now, had I not forced him to become one."

"Forced him to?" Ursa's eyes narrowed. "You mangled him, and then dishonored him like a common criminal!"

"But everything turned out for the better, didn't it?" Ozai grinned cunningly. "He discovered the Avatar, ended the 100 year war, and even had enough time to lock his old man up in jail, all before the ripe age of 17! Now, if you want to see someone really messed up, I suggest you pay a visit to Azula. I daresay you did a number on her."

Ursa glared at him, before removing herself from his embrace.

"Oh ho!" Ozai crowed. "Feeling guilty, aren't we?"

"I never hurt either of my children," she started, beginning to walk away. "Whatever Azula became is only through your influence. The pressure you put on her to always be perfect is what caused her to crack in the end. I always told you to let her fall and make mistakes; otherwise, you would be setting her up for failure in the future, and that's exactly what happened."

"Is that so?" Ozai stood up, walking over to her. "My my, aren't we feeling self-righteous tonight."

He draped his arms around her shoulders from behind, locking her in a tight embrace. "Now you listen to me," he whispered silkily in her ear. "You cannot simply come in here and start blaming _me _for everything that's happened. You are just as much responsible for this mess as I am."

"I never hurt my children." Ursa replied in a hard voice. "I did what I had to, to protect my only son. Had I not proposed my idea to you that night, you would have gone ahead with Azulon's orders to kill him!"

"NO URSA!" Ozai bellowed fiercely, turning her around to face him, hands gripping her shoulders tightly. "I only went along with your idea, because _you_ wanted it. The real sacrifice here was _mine_. I had to _lose _you, in order to _keep _you!"

Ursa was silent, his last sentence ringing in the tense air between them. Ozai slowly lifted a finger and caressed her smooth cheek, before tracing the familiar line down her jaw. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you these last ten years?" He asked huskily, before lifting her chin up and devouring her lips with his own.

The former princess of fire closed her eyes, as ten years of longing and passion poured heavily into her being. When he at last pulled away, she opened them.

"I heard the Avatar took your bending away," she said quietly, laying a timid hand on his chest. "Is it true then?"

Ozai gave a sardonic smile, as he relinquished his hold on his wife. He walked over to the bench, waving his right arm.

"As you can see, the fire no longer responds to my command. Do you see what your precious son and his friends have done to me? I am merely a shell of the man I used to be." Ozai sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "So tell me, Ursa. What brings you here tonight? I cannot imagine it was mere curiosity at my sorry state that prompted your visit, nor the allegations of child neglect that you are accusing me of, when you have your own fair share in that."

"I never neglected my children," Ursa answered sharply. "I have always taken care of their every need."

"Oh, but you favored Zuko over Azula, everyone knew that."

"I love Azula," Ursa responded. "But I had to balance out your overwhelming disdain for my son, and that meant spending more time with him than our daughter."

"So it's _your_ son, but 'our' daughter?" Ozai sneered.

Ursa refused to rise to his bait, as he stood up again, and began to walk in circles around her.

"Yes, your overwhelming love certainly balanced out with my disdain, and my pride in Azula certainly balanced out with your disregard for her. So by all accounts, our children should be healthy, well-adjusted people, wouldn't you agree? So then the question remains, why is it Zuko who is sitting on the throne, and Azula who is crying for her mother in the insane asylum?"

He stopped in front of her, cupping her face in his hand and bringing his own so close to hers, it was all she could do to stare into twin pools of molten gold that threatened to devour every bit of her.

"Or perhaps, Ursa, when you sacrificed yourself for your son, something within _me_ died, and_ I _became the cold, heartless monster you see now. Perhaps, when that happened, there was no love left in me to give over to either of our children, because the only person I cared about had left. Your love for Zuko was ingrained into his very bones, but Azula knew nothing but contempt from you, and my pride in her was not the same as your love, and_ that _is why she is the neglected child here, and not Zuko."

"All the same." Ursa replied stonily, as she stood her ground. "You did not keep your end of the deal."

"Oh?" Ozai cocked an amused brow. "Our deal was that I would spare Zuko's life, in exchange for yours, after you killed my father. And as you saw for yourself, he is better than he has ever been."

"No, our deal was that you would watch over and _protect_ Zuko. This you did not do. You made him miserable and an outcast among his own people. That, I cannot forgive."

"Tch." Ozai closed his eyes, as he let go of his wife, turning away from her. "So then, is this why you came here tonight? To avenge your son's honor?"

"My son has already avenged and restored his own honor," Ursa responded, not without a touch of pride.

Ozai smiled bitterly, as he heard his wife's footsteps from behind. "So then you came to close the circle."

"I've already done it, once, ten years before."

"So killing one more won't be much of a problem, correct?" Ozai turned to face her, seeing the knife held in her hands. "The real question is, can you do it?"

"I murdered a man for your sake, Ozai," she said tremulously. "But only so that my family should be safe. You didn't do that, and so my sacrifice turned out to be a meaningless one."

"Then go ahead," Ozai spread out his hands wide, giving her an open space to his chest. "My life is already meaningless enough as it is, without the ability to bend. Your ending it will only be a favor."

"My intent," Ursa said quietly, "was not to kill you."

* * *

><p>Fire Lord Ozai was rushed to the hospital that very night. His screams of pain were enough to wake up the castle, as the healers did everything in their power to help him. But five days later, there was little improvement, as they sadly informed him that they could not save his left eye, and that he would permanently carry a scar in that area for the rest of his life.<p> 


End file.
